A record number of tourists visited the iconic Robben Island World Heritage Site during their stay in Cape Town this past December holiday.
Robben Island Museum (RIM) saw a whopping 49 738 visitors to the Island this past festive season, this is 4% more than the last year (2015).
“We are thrilled that the numbers of guests are steadily increasing to this World Heritage Site each year,” says Mava Dada, CEO for Robben Island Museum. “This can be attributable to the improved operational governance structures that we’ve implemented to ensure the safe commute to and from the Island. A big success factor lies with the agreements that we have in place with ferry operators. The improved infrastructure has allowed us to increase the daily number of tours and visitors to the Island,” adds Dada.
During the peak season there are seven tours each day. “The weather and environmental factors do play a key role in our operation, so there are naturally days that we can’t have tours; the safety of our guests are of key importance to us,” says Dada.
“Generally during this time of the year we see many international guests, this past season, we’ve seen a marked increase in domestic tourists, particularly from Gauteng and the Eastern Cape.
“This year we are celebrating Robben Island Museum’s 20 year anniversary, we have many exciting initiatives planned throughout the year. Visitor experience is crucial; we are looking forward to introducing exciting visitor engagement scenarios throughout the year. We encourage visitors to look out for more information on our website,” concludes Dada.
For more information about Robben Island Museum, please visit: www.robben-island.org.za or contact: infow@robben-island.org.za / +27 (0)21 413 4200
More information about Robben Island Museum
Robben Island Museum (RIM) is a public entity responsible for managing, maintaining, presenting, developing and marketing Robben Island as a national estate and World Heritage Site. It was established by the Department of Arts and Culture in 1997.
RIM implements a wide range of conservation, educational, tourist development, research, archiving and general heritage programmes that are designed to achieve its mandate; conserve the Island’s natural and cultural resources and heritage; and promote it as a platform for critical debate and life-long learning.
RIM is also responsible for managing and maintaining the assets of the Island. These include the Maximum and Medium Security Prison Complexes, Robert Sobukwe’s House, the Curio and Village Shops, the Village Precinct and associated recreational facilities, the Helipad and runway on the Island, World War 2 memorials, power generation and water processing plants, Jetty 1 and the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V & A Waterfront, the Mayibuye Archives, the three (3) ferries that transport people to the Island and the fleet of buses used by tourists on the Island.
